Thread-controller for sewing-machines.



LONDBRDQNK. THREAD CONTROLLER FOB. SEWING MACHINES.

l I APPLIOATION FILED JAILZS, 1905.

Patented May 23, 1911.

3 EERSTE-'SHEET 1.

.i [Nl/ENTo/e itamey M'Inwmu "uns co wa LONDERDONK. THREAD CONTROLLERFOB SEWING MACHINES.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 23, 1905. 993,191 Patented May 23, 1911.

`3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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L. ONDBRDONK. THREAD CONTROLLER POR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLIOATION'IILED JALZB, 1905.

993,1 91 Patented Mayz, 17911.

3 SHEETB-BHEET 3.

WJTNE55E5'- INVENTOR y Atomey UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LANSING ONDERDONK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINECOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

THREAD-CONTROLLER FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led January 23, 1905.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LANSING ONDnRDoNK, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Thread-Controllers forSewing-Machines, of which the following is a description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon.

My invention relates to thread controllers for sewing machines whereinthe supply of thread is regulated to accord with varying thicknesses offabric being sewed.

My invention consists in a means operated directly by the needle bar forpulling thread from the supply and setting the stitch in the type ofmachines in connection with which my invention is illustrated.

My invention consists further in a thread guiding arm and the means forcontrolling the position of the same relative to the pull off arm.

My invention consists further in the arrangement of parts andimprovements set forth in the description and defined in the claims. f

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the head of a sewingmachine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the needleretracted and the nonessential parts omitted. Fig. 3 is a front planview of the forward end of a sewing machine embodying my invention.

In the embodiment of my invention as disclosed, the improvement is shownapplied to a blind stitching machine of the type shown in my pendingapplication Serial Number 222,612, led August 29th, 1904. Said machineconsists of a bed plate 1, an overhanging arm 2, a bracket 3 carried bysaid arm, a needle lever et pivoted to said bracket, a needle 5 carriedthereby, a link 6 for operating said lever, a looper 7, a rock arm 8supporting the same, a pivoted presser foot 9bearing on the fabric onone side of the seam and a pivoted presser foot 10 bearing on the fabricon the other side of the seam. All of these parts are constructed andoperated as fully set forth in the above referred to application andwill not need further description at this time.

Plvoted to the presser foot 9 at 11 is a thread guiding arm 12; said armis bent upon itself at its upper orfree end and spaced to form aninverted U-shaped member. In the outer end of said member is a threadeye 15 and in the body of the arm is a corresponding thread eye 16.Pivoted to the presser foot 10 at 13 is a link 20 which is pivoted atits opposite end to the thread guiding arm at 141-. The pivot 14 islocated about one third the distance between the pivot 11 and the guideeyes 15-16. Rigidly secured to the needle lever 11, preferably above thepivot thereof, is an arm 17. Said arm is curved upwardly and has itsfree end extending into the U-shaped end of the thread guiding arm. Theneedle thread is led from the supply through the usual guides to theguide eye 16 and thence to the guide eye 15 and thence through the usualguides on the needle lever to the needle. AS the needle lever swings thearm 17 comes in contact with the thread between the eyes 15 and 16 and acontinued movement of said arm sets the stitch by a pull on the threadand after the stitch is set a continued movement of said armV drawsthread from the supply through the usual tension.

It will be noted that the throw of the needle lever is constant andtherefore, the arm 17 moves a predetermined distance to the left of avertical line passed through the axis of the needle lever.

The action of the thread guiding arm as influenced by the presser feetwill now be described.

Supposing first, the position of the foot 10 remain as fixed and thefoot 9 be moved outward by an increase in the thickness of the fabric onleft of the seam. This movement of the foot 9 will turn the guiding arm12 about 14 as a pivot moving the free end of said arm to the right andnearer a vertical line passing through the axis of the needle lever.Consequently the arm 17 engages the thread at an earlier time and, asits throw 1s constant, more thread will be pulled through the tension,and the demand for additional thread in the stitch owing to theincreased thickness be accurately met. On the other hand suppose thefoot 9 remain as xed and the foot 10 be moved outward by an increase inthickness of material under the same. The arm 12 will now be turned bythe link 2O about the pivot 11 as a fulcrum and the free end again movedtoward a vertical line through the axis of the needle lever and morethread drawn from the supply. If, however, both. presser feet moveoutward at the same time, then the pivot 1l moves outward or to the leftwhile the pivot 14 moves to the right and the movements above referredto are added to each other. It is very evident that a movement of thepresser reet vthe needle to enable the same toV pass through thematerial beingsewed to its eXtreme point without straining the thread inthe eye of the needle at the same time not allowing the needle so muchthread as to cause a loose stitch.

It is obvious that many changes .in the form and proportion of parts maybe made without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forthin the description and defined in the claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. The combination of stitch forming mechanism, a plurality ofindependent work-engaging members, and athread controller connected toeach of said work-en gaging members, so that the supply of thread may bevaried according to the combined thickness of the goods passing underboth of said work-engaging members.

2. The combination with a pivoted needle lever, means for operating thesame, a needle carried at one end of said lever, of a thread engagingarm carried at the opposite end of said lever and a pivoted coperatingthread guiding arm having its free end bent up on itself, and providedwith thread eyes.

3. The combination of stitch forming mechanism, including a pivotedneedle lever, a needle carried thereby, means for operating the lever, athread engaging arm carried by the lever, a thread guiding armcooperating therewith, a plurality of work engaging members, and meansfor automatically adjusting the thread guiding arm according to thecombined thickness of the material in contact with each of the workengaging members.

4L. The combination with a thread-engagingarm, means for operating thesame, of a ,cooperating thread-guiding arm, presser foot mechanismincluding a plurality of independently operable presser feet, andmechanism for controlling the position of said arm by movements ofeithernof said presser feet.

5. rI'he combination with a thread engag. ing arm, means for operatingthe same, of a thread guiding arm, a presser foot mechanism, includingVa plurality of presser feet and mechanism for independently controllingthe position of said guiding arm from each of said presser feet.

' 6. The combination with a thread engaging arm, means for operating thesame, of a thread guiding arm, a presser foot mechanism including aplurality of presser' feet and mechanism whereby movel'nent-s of onepresser foot are'communicated to said thread guiding arm and movementsof said other 7. In a blind stitching machine, the combination with awork support, a needle mechanism and a presser foot mechanism includingtwo presser feet independently movable, of a thread controllercomprising a thread engaging arm, means for operating the same, a threadguiding arm and means for independently controlling the positions ofsaid guiding arm by varying the thickness of fabric under either presserfoot.

8. In a blind stitching machine, the combination with a work support, aneedle mechanism and a presser foot mechanism including two presser feetindependently movable, of a thread controller comprising a threadengaging arm, means for operating the same, a thread guiding arm',pivotally connected to one of said presser feet, and operativelyconnected with said other presser foot whereby variations in thethickness of fabric under either foot will be communicated to saidguiding arm.

9. In a blind stitching machine, the combination with a work support, aneedle mechanism and a presser foot mechanism includingtwo presser feetindependently movable, of a thread controller comprising a threadengaging arm, means forV operating the same, a thread guiding armpivotally connected to one of said presser feet, a link pivoted to saidother presser foot and-.connected lto said thread guiding arm.

l0. In a blind stitching machine, the com-y bination with a worksupport, a needle mechanism, and a presser foot mechanism f includingtwo presser feety independently movable, said needle mechanism includinga needle lever, of a thread controller comprising a thread engaging armrigidly connected to said needle lever, a thread guiding arm` Hincluding two presser feet independently line of the seam, a pluralityof independdevice acting upon the thread as the thickl trolling deviceincluding independent memmovable, said needle mechanism including aneedle lever, of a thread controller comprising a thread engaging armrigidly connected to said needle lever, a thread guiding arm pivoted toone of said presser feet and operatively connected to said other footwhereby variations in the thickness of the fabric under either foot willproportionally control the position of said guiding arm relative to thenormal position of said thread-engaging arm.

12. In a blind stitch machine, the combination with a work support, aneedle mechanism and a presser foot mechanism including two presser feetindependently movable, said needle mechanism including a needle lever,of a thread controller comprising a thread engaging arm rigidlyconnected to said needle lever, a thread guiding arm pivoted to one 4ofsaid 'presser feet, a link pivoted to said other foot and connected tosaid thread guiding arm.

13. In a sewing machine, suitable stitch forming mechanism, a pluralityof independently movable presser feet, bearing surfaces resting upon thefabric to be stitched, a thread controlling device and connectionsbetween said controlling device and the presser foot bearing surfaceswhereby a movement of either of said presser foot bearing surfaces willbe communicated to said thread controlling device. v

14. In a sewing machine, suitable stitchforming mechanism, including aneedle operatin upon opposite sides of the center line o the seam, apresser foot having independently movable hearing surfaces resting onthe fabric to be stitched, a thread controlling device, and connectionsbetween the bearing surface of the presser foot and thethread-controlling device whereby movement of either bearing surfacewill be communicated to the thread controlling device; substantially asdescribed.

15. In a sewing machine, suitable stitchforming mechanism, including aneedle operating upon opposite sides of the center ently movable presserfeet resting upon the fabric to be stitched, a thread-controlling nessof the material under the presser feet varies, and including a vibratingarm, and means to operate it and connections between the presser feetand the thread-controlling device whereby the movements of eitherpresser foot is communicated to said thread controlling device;substantially as described.

16. A sewing machine including in combination, a thread controllingdevice, means for varying the action of said thread conbers in contactwith one surface of the material and connections between said membersand said thread controlling device whereby the variations in thethickness of the fabric passing under either of said members will causevariable movements in said thread controlling device to supply theproper amount ofn thread for the thickness of material operated upon.

17. A sewing machine including in combination a thread controllingdevice, means for varying the action of said thread controlling deviceincluding independent members in Contact with one surface of thematerial, said members being located upon opposite sides of the centerline of the seam being formed, and connections between said members andsaid thread n controlling device whereby the variations in the thicknessof the fabric passing under either of said members will cause variablemovements in said thread controlling device to supply the proper amountof thread for the thickness of material operated upon.

18. In a sewing machine, a work sup ort for the fabric comprising aridge over w ich the goods are crimped, a thread controlling deviceoperating as the thickness of the fabric on the work support varies, andYa plurality of presser feet in contact with the fabric, and connectedwith said thread controlling device to operate it.

19. In a sewing machine, a work support, a thread controlling deviceoperated as the thickness of the fabric on the work support varies, aplurality of presser feet in contact with one face of the fabric,connections between the presser feet and the thread controlling devicefor operating it, to provide a greater or less amount of slack thread.

20. In a sewing machine, a work support comprising a ridge over whichthe goods are crimped, a thread controlling device operating as thethickness of the material on the work support varies, a plurality ofpivoted presser feet in contact with one face of the fabric, andconnections between the pivoted presser feet and the thread controllingdevice for operating it to provide agreater or less amount of slackthread.

21. In a blind stitch sewing machine, a work support provided with aridge over which the goods are crimped, a thread controlling deviceoperating as the thickness of the fabric on the work support varies, apivoted presser foot in contact with one face of the fabric, connectionsbetween the pivoted presser foot and thethread controlling device, foroperating it to provide a greater or less amount of slack thread, saidconnections beingmovable in a plane at right angles to said crimpingridge.

22. The combination of a work support, a ridge forming rib carriedthereby, a needle moving back and forth across the ridge forming rib, apresser foot mechanism for ing to the thickness of the material betweenholding the material on said ridge forming said work support and thepresser footl 10 rib, thread guides7 a thread engaging arm mechanism.cooperating with said thread guides, and In testimony whereof I aflix mysignameans for moving said thread guides when ture, in presence of twowitnesses. said presser foot mechanism and said work support are movedrelative to each other, LANSING ONDERDONK whereby the amount of threadtaken up by Witnesses: said thread engaging arm is varied accordh W. H.BOYER,

JOHN H. HOWELL, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

